Health and Safety Issues in Children with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Background: People with intellectual disability, have been shown to become high and frequent users of primary health care services—both general population health professionals and intellectual disability specialists.

Aim: The aim of this paper has been to assess differences of Health and Safety Activities children with intellectual disabilities on the Supports Intensity Scale-Children’s Version and to confirm assumptions that support needs are confounded with age, IQ andgender.

Methods:The sample included 377 children with intellectual disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina aged 5-16. Most respondents also had the presence of other, concurrent conditions and disorders. Using IQ, the sample was equalized to the level of intellectual functioning, and this data was obtained from the findings and opinions of the Commission for the Categorization of Children with Special Needs.

Results:It was found at the multivariate level there are statistically significant differences between respondents of different ages and IQ in values of type, frequency and time of duration of support. No significant differences between boys and girls were identified at the multivariate level. Healthcare professionals and intellectual disability specialists must work as a team to guarantee any person with intellectual disability possibility to come as close as possible to the standard levels of well-being and health-related quality of life of the general population.